Topspin to STOP the cue ball?

It sounds like a paradox. But its not. This is the secret behind the famous Kick-n-Stick safety shot. A player can shoot the cue ball into the rail first, causing the cue ball to stop or “stick” upon striking an object ball. The Kick-n-Stick is a must have for your safety arsenal, especially rotation games like nineball and 10-ball.

The catch is the object ball can’t be too far from the rail. If the cue ball is rotating in the direction of travel before it strike the cushion, it will rotate (or slide) in the same direction for a short distance before friction causes it to roll in the new direction of travel. That distance depends on how hard the cue ball is struck, but generally no more than three ball diameters will work.

Try using backspin on the cue ball. After leaving the rail the cue ball will be spinning in the new direction of travel immediately as its former backspin persists. That is the paradox - shooting below center on the cue ball won’t stop the cue ball on rail-first shots. Here is a video demonstration showing the cue ball rotate in super-slow motion.